Napoli have not been selected to take part in a prestigious friendly to celebrate Diego Armando Maradona a year after his passing. Instead, Barcelona and Boca Juniors will square off on December 14th, Calcio e Finanza reports.
The special match will take place at the Msool Park in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. The city is also in the running to host the Supercoppa between Inter and Juventus. They did it twice in recent years, but the League has yet to make a decision on the upcoming edition.
Maradona joined Boca Juniors in 1981 and won the Primera Division Metropolitano, tallying 28 goals in 41 appearances. He returned to the Xeneizes at the tail end of his career, spending three seasons between 1995 and 1998.
Barcelona was the first European club of the Pibe de Oro after he left Argentina in 1982. He played for two campaigns with the Blaugrana. He featured in 58 matches, hit the net 22 times, and took home one Copa del Rey, one Copa de la Liga, and one Supercopa de Espana.
Both stints pale in comparison with his Napoli one. He moved to the Partenopei in 1984 and departed in 1991. On top of the 1986 World Cup, Maradona won Serie A twice and the UEFA Cup during his time in Italy. A clash between Argentina and the Azzurri, which will also be in the legendary striker’s name, is in the works as well. However, Naples might not host it after all despite the early rumors.